'Homeland' Stars and Producers Explain Carrie and Brody's States in Season 3

July 30, 2013 (4:45 am) GMT

Damian Lewis' Brody is absent in the first two episodes of the season as 'he's disappeared into a tunnel and exfiltration system that Carrie has effected.'

"Homeland" will not return until September, but those dying to know what happens to Carrie and Brody after they parted ways at the Canadian border may have got the answer. Some major spoilers from the third season were spilled during the show's panel at the Television Critics Association summer press tour on July 29.

Damian Lewis' Brody won't appear in the first two episodes, but he will definitely be back. "He's disappeared into a tunnel and exfiltration system that Carrie has effected," Lewis said of his character. "He is the most-wanted criminal in the world at this point. ... Is he hidden away or is he lost? I hope that when you do see Brody for the first time it will be interesting."

Executive producer Alex Gansa claimed Brody's absence was a necessary move, explaining, "The decision to not have Brody in the first two episodes was just a function of storyline." He realized that their decision might spark negative reactions from fans, adding, "Whether there's a backlash or not is completely beyond our control."

Whether or not Brody's family will be featured in the third season has also been an open question, and Gansa has addressed it. "It was an unanimous consensus that there was interest in these people... and we took comfort in that," he said, "We felt we had to honor these people we created and what their lives would be like after this devastating attack."

Claire Danes, meanwhile, hinted that she would be mostly seen alone early in the season as sharing, "I miss my acting buddies, because Carrie's been in isolation for a good chunk of this season." She's currently halfway filming the season, "and it's only now that she's started to team up with the more familiar characters," so the Emmy-winning actress revealed.

Gansa added that Carrie "does feel a certain level of betrayal and enormous amount of guilt for this devastating bomb, this loss." As for Carrie's relationship with Saul, Gansa said, "Even though they're estranged from each other, they are very deeply connected. They experienced the trauma in a way no one else has."

On the aftermath of the attack at CIA headquarters, co-showrunner Howard Gordon dished, "One of the themes of season 3 is the cost that being an intelligence officer exacts on people. As a result of the attack last year, the CIA itself is on trial."

According to Gordon, Saul will find himself in a "difficult position" since he is no longer on the sidelines at the agency. He went on detailing, "All of a sudden he finds himself making decisions and with the actual existence of the CIA in question, he has to make some very uncharacteristic choices."

Responding to criticisms that the second season had "credibility issues," Gansa admitted, "I honestly wish the backlash hadn't happened but it didn't really influence [the new season]," adding that "our 11 Emmy nominations are a nice comeback."

Danes also talked about Anne Hathaway's spoof of her character on "Saturday Night Live". She remembered she began worried when the "Les Miserables" actress sent her flowers and texted her, but "it's all in good fun." Though she "enjoyed her flowers," Danes opted not to watch the sketch.